New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-06-26
THE sEYBERT COMMISSION,
,r FINDS FRAUD AMONG MEDIUMS.

YsM in accordance with the request OF the iate
Henry seybert svo PIP. 1os. Phiiaoeipn'A' - 49,
shortly before the death of Mr.. Henry Seybert'
he presented to the University OF Pennsyivania a
ann of money sufficient to found Chair Oh fhiios-
opby, the bequest requiring as conditioh .he "p
,ointment by the University OF commission W
;nvastigate I" all systems of Morals, Religion and
Philosophy which assume to represent the Iru'h'
and narticuary of Modern SDiritualisn." COM
mission was accordingly appointed composed as
follows: Dr. William Pepper, DIR. Joseph Leidy. Dr.
George A Koenig, Professor Robert Ellis Thompson,
Professor George s. Fullerton and DR.. Horace nov"
ard Furness; to this body were afterwaro aaded
MIR. Coleman Sellers, Dr. James w. White. Dr Ca'-
vim b. Knerr and DR.. S. Weir Mitchell Ihs COM
mission has now made preliminary report pue IL
ia of such character that it would appear hardiy
worth while to carry the investigation any further'
The conclusions reached almost involve the Judg-
ment that modern Sprituasm III so far as IL rests
upop what are called physical manifestations,
il n gross delusiop fosered by the most palpable,
coarse clumsy and impudent fraud that was ever
systematically practised.
The commi ssoners say that they entered upon
the inquiry without prejudice; nay. that their act
ing chairman, DR.. Furness. was even anxious 10
be converted to q belief in Spiritualism But they
met with discouraging experience All the mo-
diums with whom they had sittings turned out TO
writing where messages are assumed to be writ
ten by some disembodied force either on the inside
of closed double states or the underside OF single
slates held under table, the exposure OF fraud
was complete. Two mediums, one man ana the
other a woman, and both held In high repute
among Spir,tualists, were detected in fraudulent
practices The man seen in the act OF suosti-
tuting prepared states OF his own' on
which pretended spirit messages had been written
e. kha ola oh
fbe visitors The woman was caught writing the
messages herself on the slate held in her lap under
the table by the detective aid of small looking
class which the commissioner placed on his knees,
and which showed her hand at work on the other
side of the table 1t is true that these two medl-
INNS appear to have been the only ones examined
for slate-writine but on the principle er ano disco
ornnes the commission inferentially condemns all
slate-writing mediumship as imposture
The investigation of the so-called spirit-rapplng
does not seem to have yielded the same positive
evidence of trickery In effect the commissioners
heard raps and could not tell where they occurred
But they saw. 1.-THE difficulty attending the inves-
tipatop of this mode of Spiritualistic manifesto
ton is increased by the fact familiar to Psychologists
that sounds of varying intensity may be produced
in almost any portion of the human body by volun-
tary muscular action. To determine the exact
location of this muscular activity is at times
matter of delIcacy." The report adds that the
mediums were invariably and confessedly cogplzant
of the rappings whenever they occurred and could
at once detect any spurious rapplngs'" Inc con-
neciion here is not apparent and 1t is dihcuit 10
see how recognition of the raps by the mediums
can warrant any assurance" as to the o1igln ana
character of the manifestations. The commits
s,opers however though so we'll assured. refrain
from Offering any positive conclusion" as to this
branch of the inquiry.
As TO materalizations and what are called "spe-
cial lines of mediumship," the report is drastic.
Nothing but fraud has been encountered. Ger
tainly the mediums appear to have regarded the
commission as hostile from the first and some OF
them are charged with having prevented lnvestl-
CATION by demanding prohibltive fees. This Is
applied in particular artist in spiritual pho
Biography, who, according to the report not only
asked an extravagaut fee. but also exacted condi-
lions as to the supervision OF his mechanical pro-
cess which would have made any inquiry COM
plete farce. Of course practices OF this KIND
Justify the most damaging differences, and the pub
lie will heartily agree with the commission In all
IL saws on the subject. Why it Is that
the mediums generally should have jumped to
the conclusion that they had nothing to expect from
the Seybert Commission is probably known only to
themselves but from the point OF view OF the puDc
their position on the matter must be regarded as
singularly nfclcitous and provocative of just the
suspicious which the report tends to change INTO
certainties. Perhaps no better opportunity than
the present can be found to remark that the Spirit
uastic attitude toward scientific inquiry is in the
last degree unreasonable If the believers IN
Spiritualism are not concerned in spreading the
faith they hold if they regard it as an esoteric
mystery requiring blind credul1ty as an mas
pensable preliminary, of course they have right
to take that ground, and in such case there IL
nothing more to be said But in fact they
do not take this ground. They assert that
all the alleged phenomena OF Spirituahsm are
as genuine and real as elevated railroads or
electric lighting. They challenge inquiry into
every phase of the cult. But having done so they
virtually insist that the Investigators must have
their ewes bandaged and their hands tied and when
these conditions are protested against the material
lstic sce2ticisn of scientific men is bitterly de-
noupced and they are charged with refusing to
accept the plainest and strongest evidence.
The scientific men are really not perverse.
Perhaps it Is not quite far in them to insist that
the spirits shall manifest in daylight or be put out
of court But even if 1t be admitted that semi
obscurity may be necessary to the manifestation OF
some occult phenomena las similar condition is
necessary in the development of the Photographic
plate it does not follow that whatever happens in
that obscurty ought to be accepted as the work OF
the spirits Men of science taughtalw to seek
the easiest and most simple anation first. When.
therefore, they are brought into seance room they
proceed by the method of progressive elimination,
that is. they try to ascertain in the first place
whether the manifestations are explicable In
natural way. for instance on the theory that the
medium produces them all himself Now if ittnrns
out that there Is nothing to prevent the adoption
of this theory IT, in other words, evidence is found
to the effect that the medium not only can butdoes
produce the phenomena himself, there is clearly no
occasion to 60 any further. The supernatural is
excluded whenever the natural snfhces to explain
phenomena, in short.